It Took Great Courage To

Yes, I Am Very Lucky, But I Have A Little Theory About This. I Have Noticed Through Experience And Observation That Providence, Nature, God, Or What I Would Call The Power Of Creation Seems To Favor Human Beings Who Accept And Love Life Unconditionally, And I Am Certainly One Who Does With All My Heart.

I'm Passionately Involved In Life: I Love Its Change, Its Color, Its Movement. To Be Alive, To Be Able To See, To Walk, To Have Houses, Music, Paintings - It's All A Miracle.

I Was Born Very, Very Lazy And I Don't Always Practice Very Long. But I Must Say, In My Defense, That It Is Not So Good, In A Musical Way, To Overpractice. When You Do, The Music Seems To Come Out Of Your Pocket. If You Play With A Feeling Of 'oh, I Know This,' You Play Without That Little Drop Of Fresh Blood That Is Necessary – And The Audience Feels It.

...stories About [the German Composer Johannes] Brahms's Rudeness And Wit Amused Me In Particular. For Instance, I Loved The One About How A Great Wine Connoisseur Invited The Composer To Dinner. 'this Is The Brahms Of My Cellar,' He Said To His Guests, Producing A Dust-covered Bottle And Pouring Some Into The Master's Glass. Brahms Looked First At The Color Of The Wine, Then Sniffed Its Bouquet, Finally Took A Sip, And Put The Glass Down Without Saying A Word. 'don't You Like It?' Asked The Host. 'hmm,' Brahms Muttered. 'better Bring Your Beethoven!'

When I Sit In Paris In A Cafe, Surrounded By People, I Don't Sit Casually - I Go Over A Certain Sonata In My Head And Discover New Things All The Time.